The Diego Diaries: Ho-Ho-Ho, Hoops and Ghosts, Oh My! (dd6 548) { } NeoCybex
=0=Chapel In The Trees, Unidad Terra 1
He held his palms out as if waiting for something to come to him. It was deeply quiet in the beautiful place as the humans stared at the bots. Everyone in the human group was watching the seer and nothing about him or his purpose seemed off beat to the bots with them. Given their science proclivities, it didn't bother them in the least that they were relying on a soothsayer or a medium-like person to look for a 'ghost'. It was strange to see.
And somehow not.
The seer lowered his hands, then turned slowly in a circle, his eyes closed as he concentrated very deeply. He walked toward Prowl, then down the aisle where the apparition if it was one had sat. Pausing there, he sat himself and bowed his helm in concentration. After a moment, he glanced at Prowl. {I feel the presence of a very, very ancient energy, Commander. Something as old as one can imagine. I do not feel its malevolent in any capacity but I do feel it belongs here, that its always been here and always will be. Its fainter now, as if it doesn't want me to know much about them yet. But it has a very strong and loving presence.}
{Then there's no danger to be expected?} Prowl asked.
He shook his helm. {No. I am at a loss to quantify what and who this is. It's something that means no harm. In fact, its just the opposite. It feels nothing but love, unconditional love for All That Is. I have never felt a presence this strong and it feels expansive, like it fills this solar system.}
Prowl nodded. {Is there anything you can tell us definitively? Anything that it might want? Does it need help or is it just here in a peaceful manner?}
{I don't feel that it requires anything. I do believe it is peaceful and there is no harm intended. I would just let it go. Nothing will be harmed here if you just let it go.} Obsidian stood, then walked to the aisle once more. He stared at the window beyond. {I think its happy to see this place here like this. Happy to see it green. I don't have more. Its shading itself from too much discovery.}
Prowl nodded. {Thank you, Master. May we call upon you again when we need you?}
He nodded, then glanced at the windows. {I feel … good here.}
Prowl glanced at Chevron who walked to the seer. {Master, would you please join me for refreshment? I would like to have your opinions about things on Cybertron.}
He grinned. {That would be wonderful. I would like to see the relics if I may.}
{It would be my honor} Chevron said as he led the big mech out of the building to go to The City.
Everyone watched him go, then turned to Prowl and Ratchet. They were having a conversation off line, then they looked at the small crowd of tense individuals. Prowl looked at Chaplain Millie. "The seer said that there is an ancient energy here, one that is extremely old. It isn't malevolent nor does it seem anything but loving. He said there is no worry. We will keep him in the files in case more is required but so far all is well here. The energy is pleased with the view outside."
Everyone glanced that way, then Millie sighed with relief. "I'm glad. I suppose living on another world that we have to accept that things won't be the way they are back home. I just didn't know what to make of this. I didn't want someone who needed help to miss the boat just because I was in the dark here."
Prowl nodded. "All is well."
"You use seers? It seems out of step with your usual space age science lifestyle," Sam Witwicky said. He had followed the group and joined them when the seer was standing at the altar. "Surprises every day."
"You don't know the half of it, junior," Ratchet said with a smile. "If all is well here …?"
"What do I do if I see it again? We spoke, sort of," Millie asked.
"Speak back," Ratchet said. "Remember, they were once people like you and me. Mostly. Well, maybe not me. I sort of broke the mold." He smiled a dazzler.
Prowl smirked then glanced at the humans. "He's due back at the mental hospital before sundown."
They laughed, chatted, then the two walked out to head back to the grind. The humans watched them go, then glanced at each other. "Tell us about it, Millie," Sam asked.
"It was a woman, a normal older woman with graying red short hair and a nice smile. She didn't say much … just sat and enjoyed the place, then walked to the altar and vanished," Millie said. "I thought it might be a new form of Autobot City Syndrome but apparently we have ghosts."
"Just what we need. I will tell you, if the bots aren't worried don't worry either," Sam said as they chatted together.
=0=Earth
She swept the floor and dumped the dirt into a container for it in the corner of the warehouse. It was mid afternoon and she was working the other half of her split shift day. Soon she would go home and feed the critters, kick back and watch her 'stories'. She had sore feet and a sore lower back. Falling on the concrete from a slip on the ice had caused pain but it was improving. Putting her broom and dustpan back, she walked to the warehouse to straighten shelves.
She was an average looking human female, her hair was red shot through with gray and her eyes were light blue and kind. Walking to the shelves, she began to straighten them up by hand for the warehouse guys, getting them neat and orderly. She was almost obsessive-compulsive about it, keeping things straight. Nearby, a big pile of carefully stacked cardboard waited to be stuffed into her car for the recycling plant. There was something in her that drove her to do that, for both this job and the other minor one she had to make ends meet.
It was compelling to her to do this. Something about litter and garbage seemed more offensive to her than it appeared to most. She had no idea why but it did. Soon it would be time to drive home, make a small dinner and kick back. The great nephew was coming by to work on his math with her and then it was all hers for the rest of the night in her snug little house.
All was well in her world.
That she looked just like an apparition that appeared to the chaplain of the chapel in Unidad on Mars never entered her mind.
For now.
=0=Ops Center
They sat across from each other as the world whirled onward. "You might have Optimus see if he can feel ghosts here. I used to be very good at doing that until my Amma Docker told them to leave me alone," Ratchet said. "They used to hang around me. I don't know what it was. My magnetic charm perhaps?" he asked with a big smile.
Prowl snorted. "That's it." He leaned forward on his elbows. "What do you think the humans feel about us and this sort of thing?"
"Well, honestly, I think its just one more thing to envy," Ratchet said with a grin. "I'm being serious."
Prowl chuckled. "Game orn tomorrow. Tarn versus Iacon. I can't believe I'm going to have to root for Iacon."
"The city of the gods, Prowler. Its about time you joined the civilized world," Ratchet said as he stood. "How about tying one on after the game. I realize Sentinel won't be the punching bag from here on out but there's always Turmoil."
Prowl smirked at him. "There's always you."
"See ya," Ratchet said as he turned to go. He swished out.
Prowl watched him go. "I count on it," he said softly to himself before picking up the work detail and going with it.
=0=On a ship on Cybertron
Prime got the message, then glanced at Ironhide. "They had an apparition at Unidad. It happened in the chapel. It appeared to be an older human female who was sitting in the chapel enjoying it, then disappeared before the chaplain."
"They need a seer," Raptor said as the ship flew through the darkness toward the southern poles of Cybertron.
"They brought one in. Prowl says they felt the presence of a very ancient energy, one filled with love and kindness. There was little else to say other than that the energy presence belonged on Mars and always has been there. There appears to be no cause for alarm," Prime said.
"What do you feel if anything?" Drift asked with fascination.
Prime thought a moment, then shrugged. "Nothing. The Matrix doesn't alert for most things though sometimes it does especially if its about something malevolent."
Drift nodded, then made a note to go to the chapel. Something about the news compelled him. He sat back and relaxed, watching the lights of a southern air base begin to lighten the darkness outside.
=0=Later that night
"And that was that. Speaking of apparitions … are you ready to play ball tomorrow night?" Ratchet asked as he dried Sunspot off from his shower.
"I was born ready, Old Mech." Ironhide sprayed five little tots who sputtered and squeed. He grinned, then shut off the water. Picking up Hero gently, he began to pat her dry. "This is going to be fun. Prime's a slave driver. He's had us practicing and working out plays for a long time, before the arena was even half built."
"You never said a word, slagger. I suppose we have to cheer and all that slag?" Ratchet asked as Ironhide grinned. "I put the proposal to Prowl. I told him that this would make us WAGS ..."
Earlier in the Ops Center ...
"WAGS."
"What pray tell is a WAG?"
"Wife and/or girl friend of a player. Get it? WAG?"
Prowl stared at Ratchet with a cool optic. "I am neither a wife nor girl friend. I am a bond."
"Then we can be BAGS," Ratchet said before a donut landed on his face.
In the here and now …
"So … you're BAGS then?" Ironhide asked as he put Hero down and picked up a smiling Praxus.
"I know. Isn't it GREAT!?"
"You're certifiable, Old Mech," Ironhide said with a chuckle.
=0=Late that night at Unidad
She walked along the concourse by the windows. Outside, the usual landscape of Mars could be seen. It was dead and devoid of an easy reach for life. Somewhere down deep, the remaining life forms of Mars who could positively call themselves Martians still lived in minute and simple profusion. The bots knew that and they protected them from exploitation both of themselves and the humans. She was glad of that. She didn't like exploitation.
Pausing in the light of the tower outside, she heard footsteps behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw a number of military looking men walking to their table to play cards and drink beer. She watched as they sat, then she vanished. It would take a moment for the men to notice that she had. It would take longer for them to talk themselves out of the fact that they did. It had to be a trick of the light they convinced themselves. Then they dealt the cards but there would be a slight unease in their play this evening.
=0=Morning at the Diner On The Corner, Autobot City
They lounged in the room finishing their breakfast as the night shift met the morning. Prime and his family were there along with Ratchet's. It was the first orn of weekend and the first game day of the new Cybertronian version of basketball to be played anywhere.
The humans were stoked and the clamber for interviews was over the top. No one was speaking but the interest in a head of state playing basketball on a team in front of planets full of people was unheard of. It was astonishing to the humans that he would go into harms way in riots and war. No one who headed a country on Earth would do such a thing. None of them would be on a sports team in front of their mama let alone several worlds.
It was going to be an incredibly epic orn. The book on Earth was even. Until someone saw Optimus Prime play ball, no one was going to take a serious look at the betting. When the game was over, they would.
Big time.
=0=TBC 12-18-18 edited 12-19-18
WAGS: what they call wives and girlfriends of athletes in Britain.
BAGS: If you call someone a bag in America its usually a cranky old woman. :}